Nurses in hospitals can be very busy and responsible for a large amount of patients at one time. In order to enable nurses to quickly identify particular needs of an individual patient, nurse call and alert systems have been developed. For example, a patient having a problem or needing the attention of a nurse can activate an actuator located in the patient's room and it will indicate to the nurses located at a central nurses station that a patient is requesting assistance. In other systems, electronic medical devices that monitor and/or treat patients can have alarms when patient's vital signs or treatment schedule is outside a predetermined parameter. In such cases, these machines can send a signal to a nurses station alerting the nurse of the problem.
Many of these nurse call systems include cables or wires running from the patient's room to the nurses station and connect to a terminal unit at the nurses station. A connector system and method may be used in order to connect the cable running from the patient's room to the terminal located at the nurses station.
Connector systems often connect a cable with another cable or with a terminal unit by making both an electric and mechanical connection. Desirable features of an electrical connection include positive contact between the electrical portions in each side of the connector in order to provide a reliable electronic connection. Desirable features associated with mechanical connection include a mechanical connection strong enough so that the connectors will not come apart if they are knocked or jostled in everyday use.
In addition, it may be desirable to permit the connectors to separate if a force acting to separate the connecting reaches a predetermined level. Ideally, separation will not damage the connectors, and they can be repeatedly connected and separated. Further, it may be desirable for some electrical connections to mechanically permit the connectors to only come together in certain predetermined attitudes with respect to each other to ensure the proper electrical leads contact corresponding electrical leads in the connection.
Accordingly, it is desirable to provide a system and method for making both an electric and mechanical connection between the cable and the terminal unit that ensures a positive electrical contact and keeps the connectors together so they do not easily come apart during normal jostling or everyday use. Further, in some applications it may desirable to provide a connection that mechanically can only be connected with the connectors approaching each other in a single attitude in order to assure proper electrical leads match up with the corresponding leads on the other side of the connection.